UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But VPN Use Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has increased.
Sharp Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to major pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections via another country—surged after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
